Blessed!

I am feeling 100% completely blessed today. I was just able to rock my sweet Eli and lay him in his bed. I am not a normal rocker, but I am thankful for the times that he allows me to do this! (I'm also thankful that he doesn't REQUIRE a good rock to take a nap, but every so often...I indulge that he's my BABY!)
So...we had a big birthday party last weekend. It was nothing short of a fantastic day. Thank you, Lord! We've had a winter for the record books. Sawyer's birthday is February 15th. We could have planned a party for Feb. 13th and played in the snow, but fortuantely, we had marked the calendar for Feb. 20th, and we had a WARM day full of sunshine! Thank you, God!
I will tell you that this 3-year-old business has brought tears to my eyes on SEVERAL occassions! I feel like I have known Sawyer forever, but at the same time, he's THREE, and it's going by so fast!!! I'm just really trying to soak it all up!
He has an OBSESSION with excavators, so we had an "excavator" birthday party. My child is a WORKER! (obviously a trait inherited from his daddy) He is constantly "getting the job done." His imagination is out of control. He'll play in his sandbox for hours building a hospital, a school, or a house. He also LOVES to help! He'll run as fast as he can if I ask for a bib for Eli or a spoon out of the drawer. He's incredibly happy and LOVING! He'll tell me MANY times a day that he loves me, and recently, Walker told him that I was the prettiest girl in the world...so, Sawyer has started telling me that throughout the day. Of course that's ridiculous, but I sure do appreciate him saying so! :)
I heard someone say that having children is like having your heart on the outside of your body...I GET THAT! I totally agree! These little boys are my little hearts walking around, and I'm so thankful for them and their crazy good daddy! I think Walker's probably 98% responsible for why my children have turned out so well so far!
Anyway...sorry to go on a rampage. Just wanted to write down a few of my blessings! Nothing wrong with liking your family, right?? :)
I also think there's no better reason to throw a party than to have family and friends to celebrate a year of life.
Just a little b'day advice...I read in Parents' Magazine that a cheap, fun thing to do for your child's birthday is to blow up balloons and fill the room with balloons while they sleep the night before the birthday. We did this, and it was a HIT! Sawyer said, "Mama, Daddy...come look! I have balloons in my room!" PRECIOUS & cheap! ;)

"Cheeeeeeese!!"

I brought the camera out yesterday afternoon, and this is what Eli did! :)

Here's the live version....

(In case you wonder...The big scab in the middle of his forehead is from his attempt to jump off the front porch step. I watched him "Count" 1-2-3, and then dive head first into the sidewalk.)

ABC's

My little man has had his abc's down pat for a while, but I was able to get it on video the other day when he decided he'd sing it for me with the camera out. :)

His other favorite songs include Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels on the Bus, Zacchaeus and I'm in the Lord's Army (which is also Eli's favorite at the moment). Eli has SEVERAL words , but yesterday, he walked outside and said "Tractor" as plain as day. I was impressed! He has put 2 words together once. I was talking to Allyson, and told him to say, "Hey, Sissy!" He did. :) Sweet boy! Anyway...here's my video...I like Katie's so much today that I decided to add my own. Also, if you don't normally read her blog, you might want to read it today. She talks about the Bell Center where Caroline is going to "school" two days a week. Hope you'll enjoy!

Melanie's Baby Shower

We had a fun baby shower today! My sweet friend Melanie is expecting her second boy in March. She is a PRECIOUS girl, and I'm so thankful to have her as a friend.

(Pictured from left to right is Ashlynn, Summer, Melanie and me)

comic relief

Thank Goodness my boys provide comic relief for their mama in the midst of the tantrums, MESSES and diapers this week. They're funny!
I've been told I laugh easily. Apparently, I think a lot of things are funny....but FOR REAL these two KEEP me laughing!

-Sawyer's had two imaginary babies for the past two weeks. Their names are Caroline and Caroline. Last night it was time to go to bed, so he said, "I need to get my babies to bed. Sometimes they just cry and cry when I put them to bed." (We had just layed Eli down, and he was crying.) Then, Sawyer tells me his babies were in his belly, but they're out now.
He's got it about 10% figured out anyway! :)

-He also has an OBSESSION with excavators. He wants me to "Make up a story, Mama. IIIIIII have an excavator, Daddy has a dumptruck, Eli has a crane, and you have a bulldozer." I tell him a story about how we're going to build a park, a hospital, a house, a church, a road, etc. His eyes light up, and he says, "Yeah! That's a great story!"

-Eli Williams is also a character and half. I can say, "Eli, Can Mama have a kiss?" He'll shake his head NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for like 5 seconds and laugh! A lady at church, however, or any other random person, can ask for a kiss, and he'll pucker up! I think he cracks himself up with this how he can resist his mama! :) I'm like FOR REAL? (I'm also considering that this may have something to do with the fact that I ask for kisses ALL DAY LONG!)
When it counts, like today when he was leaving with Walker, I asked for a kiss and he obliged. I about melt! :)
OHHHH MY!! This is a precious heartbreaker in the making I'm afraid!

I'm home alone today. My dear husband has taken himself and my two boys to Clayton, Alabama, so I can clean my house in preparation for a sweet friend's baby shower at my house tomorrow. I have LOTS of things to accomplish on this quiet day, but it's so quiet I feel a little lost and not sure where to start. I'll share pictures of the shower soon. Hope you have a great weekend, friends!

The Beach in January

Allyson may have stolen my thunder if you read hers too...but it was a blog-worthy trip!
My little boys and I decided to head South on Tuesday. We headed to PCB for the day/night. It was a fabulous day! It was windy but beautiful, so we packed up our dumptruck and sand buckets, and we went to the beach. We had some crackers and goldfish to feed the birds, so a good time was had by all! It's SO MUCH FUN now that Eli and Caleb are really able to play! All three of these boys adore each other, which makes for happy mamas! :) I just wish we got to play with them every day! (I'm learning not to dwell on this though, I'm just PRAYING!) After our beach trip, we headed to Pier Park where Dillards was having an underwear sale, so that was fun! :) All in all, it was fabulous! I just wish Eli had not coughed all night to keep Al and Wes up all night!! So Sorry!!

We're Still Here...

So, I have been a blogger-slacker lately, but I definitely do not want to be. So, just a quick update from the Williams house.
First off, I'll vent a little.....
This little stinker/doll-face has been cutting 10 teeth! I think he was 4 months old when his first four teeth came in, and he hasn't gotten many since that time until the last couple of weeks. AHHHH! It's painful for both of us! Yesterday, I was convinced that I needed to drag my Baby Bjorn back out. I thought I could somehow rig it up for my 14-month old child since he's wanted to be attached to my hip ALL day. Thankfully, today has been MUCH better! PRAISE THE LORD!

In other news, I went back to college this week. I'm taking one class to renew my teaching certificate. It's at Troy on Monday nights, and I think it really is going to be a blessing. Three of my teacher friends from Andalusia are also in the class, so it's bound to be okay. I enjoyed getting out and hearing what's going on in schools, and then, I called Walker to tell him I was on my way home, and this little boy.... got on the phone and said, "Hey, Mama! I miss you!" and it made me realize once again I really like my job right now. We've been playing LOTS of hide and seek, making tents inside, and talking about the weather man, and how we hope he's going to tell us it's going to warm up outside! I was so glad yesterday when both boys could get outside and play. It makes life much better when they can get outside!

By the way...if you need a gift or your kiddos don't like the bathtub, may I suggest a bubble maker for the bathtub? My kiddos are big fans of the bathtub anyway, but Granny Beck gave them a bubble machine for Christmas, and they have LOVED that thing! Who knew bathtime could get any better?